Making the Numbers

April 1, 2008

Polyester uniforms are particularly prone to dye migration, which affects ink colors on a final print. This can be controlled by testing fabrics prior to printing and by monitoring the flash cure and dryer temperatures during curing.

Printing quality athletic numbers starts with knowing the fabrics with which you are working, since nylon and polyester fabrics require the use of specific products and procedures. Most manufacturers formulate screen printing inks intended for athletic printing. These have high opacity and are made with specific resins and plasticizers that, when properly cured, will withstand many years of use and laundering. Following are a few tips for successful uniform printing.

• Athletic inks designed specifically for nylon are not bleed resistant, so don't use them on polyester. Instead, use low-bleed ink that is formulated for polyester.

If the uniform contains Lycra spandex, use a stretch additive to help the print withstand cracking when tightly stretched over protective gear, such as football pads.

• When printing, use tightly stretched mesh screens — preferably 83 to 86 tpi (threads per inch). Also, it's important to have the proper buildup of emulsion on the print side of your screen. This determines ink deposit and edge sharpness of the number being printed.

• For one-color numbers on light-colored uniforms, two squeegee strokes should suffice if you use an athletic ink with good coverage. Dark-colored uniforms will look better if you use a print-flash-print technique. Two-colored numbers should be flashed after the first color on light garments to resist picking up any ink on the back of its screen. When printing dark garments, print-flash-print-flash the first color and print-flash-print the second color.

• Curing is most important when using this ink and these fabrics. Because athletic fabrics and the ink film on the garment are thicker than the average T-shirt print, they require longer curing times.

— Information provided by Jeff Proctor, Union Ink Co., Ridgefield, N.J.

Ink-Matching Tips
Screen printers have two options when it comes to ink color-matching systems: pigment concentrates (PC) or finished inks. Using pigment concentrates, printers can measure concentrated pigments according to the ink manufacturer's formulation guide and mix them with a plastisol carrier base. A finished ink system already has the correct base-to-pigment ratio, so the inks come ready to print.
December 01, 2008

Lofty Goals
Flawless embroidery starts with a smooth sewing surface. But when a customer's order calls for sewing on textured or lofty fabrics, your path to successful embroidery suddenly gets a little bumpy.
December 01, 2008

8 Tips for Embroidering with Metallics
Think of metallic embroidery thread as the equivalent of the foil effect popular on screen printed T-shirts sold at retail today. It adds a similar trendy look whether used in concert with other apparel decoration applications or alone.
June 09, 2008

Digitizing Designs for Terrycloth
Don't forget these important tips when creating a digital embroidery design file to sew out on towels and other deep-pile fabrics.
Monogramming bath towels and bathrobes can be a lucrative niche for embroiderers. Upscale department stores and linen shops are eager to set up arrangements with embroiderers who can monogram towels as wedding gifts.
May 22, 2008

New Threads Provide Paint for the Embroidery Palette
The latest embroidery threads include unique materials designed to create special eye-catching effects, improve production efficiency and open new markets.
It's easy to marvel at the technical sophistication of today's computerized embroidery machines and overlook the more mundane role of thread in the embroidery process.
April 29, 2008